Toy walking puppet



March 5, 1957. H. D. PLUMMER TOY WALKING PUPPET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 13, 1956 INVENTOR.

HARRY D. PLUMMER ATTORNEYS March 5, 1957 D, PLU ER 2,783,586

TOY WALKING PUPPET Filed April 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

4. HAEEY D- PLUMMEE A OR N E (9 United States: Paten 2,783,586 To? WALKING runner Harry 1). Plummet, snare Mimics, Calif. Application April 13, 1956, Serial-No; 578,060 3 Claims. (Ci. 462116 The present invention relates to toys and in particular a toy walkingpuppet.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toy walking puppet which may be rolled over a suppoi'tin'g surface and which appears to be walking upon the surface when so rolled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rolling support for a puppet of the type having a hollow body and a hollow head and normally supported upon an individuals hand with a finger supporting the head and with thumb and fingrss'lipport itig-the shoulder portion. A I

A further object of the present invention isto provide anamp ing device for the ententainmeht of children and one which has a grotesque figure which appears to Walk when the device'is wheeled along a supporting surface, the motions of the figure being ludicrous and amusing.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the toy walking puppet of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support for the puppet, the puppet being shown in dot-ted lines,

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the support, taken along the line 33 of Figure 2, Without the figure of the puppet thereon,

Figure 4 is an elevational view from the rear taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the toy walking puppet of the present invention comprises a base having a forward end 11 and a rearward end 12. A standard 13 rises from the base 10 intermediate the forward end and the rearward end.

As shown in solid lines in Figure 1 and in dotted lines in Figure 2, a hollow member designated generally by the reference number 14 and having a head portion 15 and a body portion 16 is positioned so as to envelop the standard 13 and the base 10 and has its head portion 15 receiving and supported upon the upper end of the standard 13. The member 14 simulates the body of an individual and is a puppet of the type which can be displayed and carried upon the hand of an individual with a finger received in the hollow head portion and with a thumb and a finger received in the stubby, short arm portions 17 and 18, the latter carrying a club 19.

A shaft 20 is rotatably supported in the base 10 and carries a wheel 21 on each end thereof for rollably supporting the base 10 upon a surface.

A pair of L-shaped members 22 and 23 each having a long leg 24 and 25, respectively, and a short leg 26 and 27, respectively, is positioned so that the long legs 24 and 25 slope downwardly and forwardly of the for- 'ice ward end 11' of the b58510 and the short legs 26*a1i'd 27 he in a c'ommon horizontal plane adjacent to-the upper end of thebase 10 and have the portions adjacent the free ends thereof connected to the standard 13- for swinging movement about the standard 13 as an axis. The means connecting the free endipor'tions of the short legs 26 and 27 .tothe standard 13 consists in a molded support member 28 having a concave lower spacere'ceivingthe upper end of the base-10 and having an aperture through which extends the standard 13.

A foot simulating that of an individual is carried on the free end of the long leg 24 and designated 'by the reference numeral 29 andanother foot- 30'is similarly carried on the free end of the long'leg 25.

A crankpin 31 projects from'the exterior face -of eah of the wheels 21v and a link 32 having an' aperture at each end is carried upon each of the crank pins 31am! operatively connects each of the crank pins to'the adjacent long leg 24 or;25 of the h-shaped member 22 or '23, respectively. The connection of each of the links 32 to the respective one of the long legs 24 or 25 is' intermediate the ends of the latter and is a lost-motion connection, there being collars provided as at 33 and 34- .forms a means by which thetoy walking puppet of the present invention maybe propelled upon a supporting surface; v I v A third wheel-3 6 is positioned forwardly of the forward end 11- of the base-10 intermediate the wheels-'21 and rollably supports the forward end 11 of the base 10 when the puppet is rolled upon a supponting surface. The wheel 36 assists in maintaining the puppet in an erect position and the handle, having an offset portion 37 is so positioned relative to the puppet that a child may walk alongside of the puppet and may conduct or lead the puppet down a sidewalk or roadway as if he were walking alongside of the puppet.

In Figure 3, the swinging movement of the L-shaped members 22 and 23 is shown in dotted lines in response to rotational movements of the wheels2l and the resulting reciprocating action of the links 32. The lostmotion connection-of the links 32 with the long legs 24 and 25 results in the jerking motion of the simulated feet 29 and 30 from side to side beneath the body of the puppet.

In Figure 2 it will be seen that the arm portions 17 and 18 of the puppet are supponted in a more or less horizontal plane by a wire member 38 formed in the shape of a triangle with the apex pointed downwardly and secured to the intermediate portion of the standard 13, the hypotenuse of the wire member 38 being provided with a loop 39 through which extends the adjacent portion of the standard 13. The top of the standard 13 is formed with an enlarged portion 40 which covers the upper end of the standard 13 and protects a child using the device from injury after removal of the head portion 15 of the puppet therefrom.

In operation, a child may push the puppet of the present invention along a supporting surface and the motion of the feet 29 and 30 will give a lifelike and ridiculous motion to the puppet figure.

Preferably, the base 10 and the support member 28 are formed of molded plastic, while the Wheels may be either plastic, metal or wood as desired and the handle 35 is preferably molded of plastic also. The body portion 16 is fabricated of a flexible material such as cloth, rubber, or the like and the head portion 15 of the puppet is'preferablytormed of molded plastic or rubber, as desired.

What is claimed is: l. A toy walking puppet comprising a base having a forward end, a standard rising from said base, a hollow member simulating the body of an individual and en vveloping said standard and said base and carried by said standard, a rotatable wheel carried by said base on each side of the latter for rollably supporting said base upon a surface, a pair of L-shaped members each having a swinging movement about said standard as an-axis, a

foot'simulating that'of an individual carried by the free end of each of the long legs, acrank pin projecting from each of said wheels, and a link operatively connecting each of said crank pins with the adjacent one of saidlong legs intermediate the ends of the latter.

.2.' A toy walking puppet comprising a base having a .forward end and a rearward end, a standard rising from :isaid base, a. hollow member simulating the body of an individual enveloping said standard and said base and carried by said standard, a rotatable wheel carried by said base. on each side of the latter for rollably supporting said base upon a surface, a pair of L-shaped members each having a long leg and a short leg positrtioned so that the short legs lie in a common horizontal plane and the long legs slope downwardly and forwardly .of the forward end of the base and having the portions of the short legs adjacent the free ends thereof connected to said standard for swinging movement about said-standard as an axis, a foot simulating that of an individual 7 carried by the free end of each oflthe long legs, a crank pin projecting from each of said wheels, a link operatively connecting each of said crank pins with the adjacent one of said long legs intermediate the ends of the latter, and a handle projecting upwardly from the rearward end of said base.

3. A toy walking puppet comprising a base having a forward end and a rearward end, a standard rising from said base, a hollow member simulating the body of an individual enveloping said standard and said base carried by said standard, a rotatable wheel carried by said base on each side of thelat-ter for rollably supporting said base upon a surface, a pair of L-shaped members each having a long leg and a short leg positioned so that the short legs lie in a common horizontal plane and the long legs slope downwardly and forwardly of the forward end of the base and having the portions of the short legs adjacent the free ends thereof connected to said standard for swinging movement about said standard as an axis,

- a foot simulating that of an individual carried by the free end of each of the long legs, a crank pin projecting from each of said wheels, a link operatively connecting each of said crank pins with the adjacent one of said long legs intermediate the ends of the latter, a handle,

projecting upwardly from the rearward end of said base, and a third wheel projecting forwardly of the forward end of said base intermediate said first named wheels for rollably supporting said base on a surface.

1 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,248,788 Baker Dec. 4, 1917 1,355,789 Williamson Oct. 12, 1920 1,960,981 Stocker May 29, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 85,411 Germany Apr. 3, 1895 

